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I’ve never been a big fan of animated movies. I grew out of cartoons a long time ago and I’ve played very few video, computer or console games. As a result, the animated world isn't something that interests me a lot. But I watched How To Train Your Dragon and I was blown away. There might be films that are superiorly animated then this one, but it’s probably the finest one I’ve ever seen.

How To Train Your Dragon is based on book of the same title. Something like ‘The Dragon Trainer’ or even ‘The Dragon Tamer’ would have been more apt for the movie, but whatever. The film is a DreamWorks Animation creation and is directed by Chris Slanders and Dean DeBlois. The film is essentially for children, and I’m sure it’ll be lapped out by kids who’ll rave about it later on. Yeah, a cool flick. Superb animations, damn near life-like graphics and a feel-good story that has romance, adventure and emotions. What I particularly liked about the movie was the tongue-in-cheek humour and witty dialogues, quite a few moments that make you chuckle.

The story is about Hiccup, a Viking kid who isn't at all Viking-like. He lives on the island of Berk, which is infested by dragons of all kinds, shapes and sizes. Hiccup is the tribe’s chief’s son, who is highly disappointed because his son is ‘different’. Hiccup can’t kill dragons, he isn't as beefed up as the other Vikings and is a complete loser in his clan. But he somehow manages to befriend the fiercest of all dragons, the Night Fury – the unholy offspring of lighting and death. As his friendship with Night Fury – who he calls Toothless – grows, Hiccup realizes that the dragons are not as bad they think they are. And then it’s up to him to show this to rest of his tribe, make his father proud and protect his island from being ravaged by the dragons.

How To Train Your Dragon has a number of subtle messages strewn through it. It talks about being who you are, about friendship, about parental love and about acceptance. I don’t know if these messages were intentional, but they’re there and they give the movie that depth which makes it more than just a snazzy animated flick. This goes to show that the filmmakers have worked hard on the script and characters as well, and not just the animation. Well done.

It is of course recommended that you watch the movie in 3D. How To Train Your Dragon is a thrilling saga and the exhilarating animations are totally worth a trip to the multiplex.